Good Neighbor event and campaign

Published July 29, 2026

Created for NYCxDESIGN Festival 2026, Good Neighbor transformed Thought Matter’s studio into an immersive experience exploring the fragile social contracts that shape everyday life in New York City. Through satire, participation, and play, the project asked a simple question: What does it mean to be a good neighbor today?

The initial invitation design played off Neighborhood Crime Watch signs I remember from my youth. They were the perfect inspiration for this event which put into question the role of surveillance. We then designed an identity inspired by the different layers of New York City.

Interactive installations invited strangers to connect while others listened in, exposing the tension between intimacy and surveillance. Illustrated NYC critters (illustrated by Ryan Wattaul), satirical signage, neighborhood notices, and a spoof newspaper called The Neighborhood Rag created a world that felt both familiar and slightly off, reflecting the contradictions of modern city life.

Good Neighbor explored how design functions as civic infrastructure—shaping trust, participation, and public behavior through the spaces, systems, and messages we encounter every day.

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